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“You got it,” Charlotte said from the couch.
Penny swiveled on her stool and shared an air high five with her. Caleb ignored them all, pretending not to hear.
“I’m sorry,” George said. “You’re a nice girl. You deserve better than some schmuck who cheats on you.”
Penny sighed. “People keep telling me that, and yet it keeps happening. I’m beginning to think the problem is me.”
Maybe she was too nice. Maybe it was her niceness that made men think she was a doormat. Or maybe it was a turnoff, and that was why they always ended up looking for more exciting pastures to sow their oats in.
Caleb dropped off George’s black coffee and Danish, studiously avoiding Penny’s eyes as he slunk back to the espresso machine.
“Thanks, kid.” George picked up his coffee cup, blew on it, and took a sip. He set it down again, grimacing at the temperature. As he tore off a chunk of his Danish, he directed a thoughtful glance at Penny. “You know, my neighbor’s son is a very nice-looking banker.”
Penny held up a hand to stop him. “Thank you, but no.”
“Steady income, good manners…”
She shook her head. “I think I’m done dating for a while.”
“Suit yourself. But lemme tell you, being alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
Penny’s heart squeezed in sympathy. George and his wife had been married for forty years before she died. She couldn’t even imagine what it must be like to build a whole life with someone and then have to go on without them. And here she was feeling sorry for herself over a man she’d only known for a couple months. A man she hadn’t even really liked that much, as it turned out.
Caleb came back and set a fresh latte in front of Penny.
“What’s this?” she asked, surprised.
He leaned his hip against the counter and crossed his arms. “Lavender latte. Something new I’m playing around with. Tell me what you think.”
“But I don’t—”
“There’s no syrup,” he said, anticipating her objection. “I steeped dried lavender in the milk to flavor it.”
Penny lifted the cup and sniffed it, a little dubious of lavender-flavored coffee. She took a tentative sip, and was surprised to discover it was delicious.
“What do you think?” Caleb asked, watching her.
“It’s wonderful! How did you ever come up with it?” She sniffed it again, appreciating the subtle lavender aroma.
“There’s a place over by my house that serves them. I thought I could improve on it by cutting out the syrup.”
“You should get Reema to add this to the menu.”
The old familiar indifference clicked back into place and he shrugged like it wasn’t worth his time. “Maybe.”
Penny watched him walk away, confused by his behavior. He’d been awfully nice for a minute there, before he’d slipped back into old habits. He was probably just doing it because he felt sorry for her. But still.
He’d chased Kenneth off for her. And apparently he’d been talking to George about her. And now he’d made her a special drink as a peace offering.
She smiled as she took another sip of her lavender latte. Maybe Hottie Barista wasn’t such a jerk after all.
Cynthia’s art show was that night at a warehouse space in the Fashion District. There were a lot of cool-looking LA people there in addition to the people Penny knew. Cynthia and her husband were there, of course, although her attention was in such high demand she didn’t have time to do much more than thank Penny for coming. Vilma and her husband Emilio were there too, and Penny chatted with them for a few minutes before she spied Esther standing alone by the hors d'oeuvres.
“Make me stop eating cheese,” Esther said, looking relieved to see Penny.
Penny linked her arm through Esther’s and led her away from the cheese tray. “Where’s Jonathan?”
“TA’ing a night class.”
